


The Sky's Your Limit (And You're Mine)

by dontaskmewhyi



Category: One Piece, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Hero Uni (instead of HS), M/M, Multi, category: quotes, marco & sabo & ace, mas bingo 2017, one sided sabo/marco, prompt: "I love heroes"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-01-22 14:03:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12483316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontaskmewhyi/pseuds/dontaskmewhyi
Summary: Ace made up his mind to be a hero, and he's not about to let being late to the entrance exam slow him down. Sabo's waiting for him, and together they take on Hero University.





	1. Phoenix's Rising

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Lucky for helping!

It's getting colder and they’re losing light, but Sabo and Ace hardly notice. The abandoned building they're hiding in is more of a home than where either have come from. Sabo has his binder open, spread in front of him with several notebooks scattered around it. He’s very organized, Ace knows, despite the messy look of it all.

Sabo’s holding his newest card out, admiring it with bright eyes. He's rattling off facts and stati- static- numbers. Lots of numbers. None of which make sense to Ace, but he's not really paying attention anyway.

Ace is watching how the dying light makes Sabo’s whole face light up. It creates an outline around him. Ace listens to the way Sabo’s voice gets higher as he gets more excited. It’s one of those quiet nights, just the two of them hanging out. He knows that it won’t last forever - Sabo has to return eventually - but for a moment, time stops. For a moment, the two of them are happy.

“...heroes,” Sabo concludes. Ace blinks, a little dazed from the relaxed atmosphere, and realizes he has no idea what Sabo just said.

“What?” he asks, stretching.

Sabo turns to him, eyes still shining. “I love heroes! They’re so cool! They protect the citizens, and take down the bad guys, and they’re all so unique. Every day they put their lives on the line for us! Heroes don’t discriminate. They’ll save anyone, even street kids like us.”

Ace doesn’t agree, but he doesn’t say anything. Sabo tucks the new card - Phoenix, Ace reads - carefully into the binder. He puts all the books except that one away, curling around it as they lay down for the night.

Just before he falls asleep, an idea hits Ace. If he became a hero, Sabo would look at him like that too, right? He could make Sabo really notice him, make him proud and happy.

He makes his decision. He's going to become a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see how long this lasts!  
> I do have some great plans for this story, so if those happen I'll be happy.


	2. Rains Like Tears, Burns Like Fears

_Sabo!_

Ace reaches out but is pulled roughly back. A hand grips at his hair as Sabo is dragged away, kicking, screaming, biting - anything to get away from his father. He’s slapped roughly across the face and goes still for a moment.

Ace sees red.

He feels himself lose control. It’s odd, kind of like time is slowing down, or maybe he’s speeding up. Everything happens too slowly and all at once - there’s a quiet much like the calm before a storm, then an explosion of noise.

He doesn’t feel the heat, but he does hear Sabo scream.

Just like that, as quickly as it happened, the moment is over, and Ace realizes that the rundown shack they had been found in is now on fire. A blazing, uncontrolled fire that consumes. Though the heat doesn’t bother him, he feels it. It has to be too much for anyone else.

_Sabo!_

He races forward, the flames licking around his feet and parting as he wills. Sabo’s there, covered in burns and blood, his eyes blank. Ace grabs him, demanding the flames part as he runs out, away from the comfort of the fire.

Away from the screams of the men still burning.

Smoke fills his lungs, burning each time he inhales but not choking him. The heat caresses his skin like warm sunlight on a sleepy day. He wants to stop, to curl up and relax, maybe sleep in the burning building, but he knows he must move forward. He has to get Sabo out. He has to.

A hand reaches for his foot, grabbing his ankle and pulling him to the ground. Sabo lands on top of him, and for a moment Ace almost gives into the warmth. A strangled noise brings him back and he concentrates, lighting only his ankle up, forcing the man to let go with a wail. He picks Sabo up, pulling him over his back as carefully but quickly as he can, and moves forward.

The air outside is muggy. It makes his clothes stick to his skin. Sabo keeps sliding from his shoulders and Ace readjusts him just for Sabo to slip again. It’s uncomfortable, and there’s a tingling sensation just under his skin. Ace knows what that means 

Sure enough, it begins to rain.

Water has always bothered him. Even before his quirk presented, he was opposed to it. Especially the rain. It seems to dampen his spirits, bring his mood down and make him shiver even when it’s warm inside. Sabo usually laughs at him, but lets Ace curl into his side, comforted only by Sabo’s warmth. 

Today is no exception. The rain slows him down, makes him feel sluggish and slow. He struggles forward, energy draining with each minute. They never make it to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending on a cliffhanger today!
> 
> The story should pick up from here. :)  
> Thanks again Lucky for being such an amazing friend and helping me out with this!


	3. First We Run; Then We Fly

Ace is running late. Work had gotten so busy he’d lost track of time and accidentally stayed an extra hour before rushing out the door. He focuses on his breathing, his arms and legs protesting as he pushes them to go faster, to _make it on time, come on!_ He doesn’t see the kid until they’ve collided. Thankfully, his reflexes are pretty good, and the kid’s dark wings keep them from falling.

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention!” Ace apologizes, bouncing in place as he prepares to take off again.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Are you taking the exam too?” the kid asks, and Ace has to stop and look him over. They can’t be older than, what, 14? No way this kid is old enough to be taking a University exam!

“How old are you?” Ace blurts out.The kid blinks before giving him a shy grin.

“Sixteen,” they admit, and quickly add, “but I’ll be seventeen at the beginning of the semester!”

Ace nods blankly, trying to associate that baby face with a seventeen year old. Before he can, he remembers why they collided in the first place.

“Shit. We’re gonna be late!” Without really thinking about it, he grabs the kid’s arm and hauls them both towards the exam room.

They make it just as the instructor stands up, ready to pass out the exam. The proctor gives them an annoyed glare but waits as they grab their seats. Ace heads over to his place next to Sabo, who throws an amused smirk at him. The kid finds the closest empty seat they can, which looks difficult considering how packed the room is. Once they’re settled, the exam begins.

 

* * *

 

“That exam was a breeze!” Sabo comments, shifting his arms behind his head and grinning down at Ace.

“Smug bastard,” Ace mutters at him, earning a smirk. Honestly, Ace doesn’t think he did that bad either. Between Sabo constantly talking about Heroes and their study/cramming sessions over the last few weeks, he knew most of the material. He bumps Sabo’s back, not quite willing to admit that he actually enjoys paying attention to the nerd.

Sabo laughs and jumps forward, moving so that he’s walking backwards in front of Ace. Ace forgets the rest of the world. Realizing he's staring too much, Ace quickly thinks of a diversion.

“Tomorrow’s the physical, right? Luffy kept bothering me if he could come watch. Wanna sneak him in?” Ace keeps his gaze on Sabo. The blonde pretends to think for a moment before giving Ace a wide smirk.

“Is that a _challenge_ I hear?” The two share a look, one that promises mischief and mayhem. Oh, Ace cannot wait for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, ch 3.  
> I was going to try making longer chapters, but that isn't happening so I guess I'll just stick to shorter ones.  
> Luffy will be making an appearance soon~


	4. Absent Worries

“Luffy! Quiet!” Ace hisses at his younger brother’s giggling. Luffy stifles a few more giggles; Ace tries to control his grin. The teacher that they’ve been keeping their eye on turns away from them and Luffy gives Ace the biggest smile.

  
“Shishishi! This is easy!” he says, turning to walk backwards.

  
“You big doofus, keep quiet!” But there’s no heat to his words. They see Sabo standing casually by the entrance, looking ever the perfect gentleman.

  
“Hey,” he greets, and Ace feels himself relax.

  
“Hey,” he says back, but is drowned out by Luffy’s exclaimed, “SABO!” Luffy flings his arms around Sabo, his limbs extending to wrap all the way. Ace just laughs at the display. Luffy and Sabo rarely saw each other when living together – now, with Luffy out of the house, they see each other even less. Not that Ace hadn’t gotten the same treatment this morning.

  
“Shall we head over?” Sabo asks once Luffy has released him. Ace follows the two, careful to keep eyes on anyone suspicious. Even at a Hero School, you can’t be too careful.

  
Ace won’t let himself be careless.

  
As they’re heading inside, Sabo turns towards him. “You can relax, you know. We’ve got your back.” Ace gives him a reassuring smile.

  
“I know.” He doesn’t say that’s exactly why he can’t relax.

  
Judging by Sabo’s fond eyeroll, he doesn’t have to.

 

The arena is huge. It’s easily the size of a small town, and judging from what Sabo said about the orientation he missed, it is a small town. Luffy jumps up and down excitedly next to him, trying to see over the edge of the large wall. Sabo places a hand on his shoulder.

  
“Luffy, you can’t see over the wall just by jumping, and you know we’re not supposed to use our quirks outside the arena,” he admonishes fondly. Luffy gives him a pout that’s quickly replaced when he spots something.

  
That something turns out to be the same kid Ace met on his way to the written test. The kid looks terribly nervous.

  
“KOBI!” Luffy shouts, racing over to where the pink haired teen is nervously preening.

  
“Luffy?” Kobi asks, holding a crooked feather awkwardly to their chest. Luffy claps Kobi so hard on the back, Ace worries the kid is gonna go flying. They don’t, but they do stumble unsteadily.

  
“You two know each other?” Ace asks, walking up to them. Sabo doesn’t fall behind him, which Ace finds odd and half turns to see what’s wrong.

  
“Yeah! I met Kobi a long time ago! You’re looking much better!” Luffy laughs, pulling Kobi into a hug. The kid starts turning red, Ace notices absently.

  
“Ah, L-Luffy, it’s g-good to see you too,” they stutter, looking shyly up at Luffy. Luffy just laughs a bit more before fawning over Kobi’s wings. Or something. Ace has long since stopped paying attention; Sabo is nowhere to be found.

  
He searches the crowd, all senses on alert. Where did Sabo go? He isn’t anywhere with the students, as far as Ace can see. Luffy grabs his arm.

  
“Ace! Are you okay? They’re starting soon,” he says, looking up at Ace with those warm eyes that seem to see everything. Ace really does have the best little brother. He smiles down at Luffy, trying to put his worry aside.

  
“Yeah. I’m fine. Try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone, alright?” Ace pulls his brother into a headlock and ruffles his hair roughly. Luffy complains for a moment, swatting uselessly at Ace’s hands. After a bit of roughhousing, Ace lets Luffy go. Luffy waves them off as Ace and Kobi head inside.

_Sabo will be there when I return,_ Ace reassures himself, and the exam begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm sick.  
> But I did manage to finish this, so here. Donno when next chapter will be up, but it's later out, so hopefully not long.  
> Thanks Lucky for all your help!


	5. The Face Of Our Fears

“Start!” the announcer, well, announces to the very confused group of heroes-in-training. There’s no countdown, no prelude, just a sudden indication that everything is beginning. Ace wastes no time standing around with his perplexed competitors, darting forward with a manic grin.

Finally, things are beginning. He, Sabo, and Luffy have spent their lives fighting, whether it was for food or for their safety and well-being, so Ace isn’t disturbed by the sudden start. The announcer is right - life doesn’t give you a countdown.

The enemy robots aren’t especially difficult. They go down easily, one punch taking out even two or three of them. A wicked grin in place, Ace enjoys the physical labor. For once, he’s able to hit without worrying about the damage he will inflict, though he still keeps his strength in check. He can’t show all of his cards at once, now can he?

He doesn’t keep track of the number of pathetic robots he takes down. Their time limit is only ten minutes, and after about seven of them things seem to start winding down. He surveys his surroundings; the mock city is littered with the demolished corpses of his metallic  enemies. It reminds Ace of home – a city covered in trash.

 

A commotion catches his attention, and, curiosity piqued, Ace heads towards the noise. Examinees are running in the opposite direction of - something. It begins to tower over the city, drowning alleyways in sudden shadows. Whatever it is, the thing is huge. For a brief second, Ace longs for Luffy and Sabo. The three of them would enjoy taking down the mysterious object with glee, and he misses fighting alongside them. The second passes, however, when a large red orb turns his way. Ace assumes it’s an eye - or at least, an attempt at one. He can’t really see much else, so he heads out of his alleyway and into the main street to get a better view.

The mysterious something turns out to be a giant robot with a large, red “0” printed on its chest-region. Now that he can see the massive hunk of metal better, Ace is even more impressed. It actually looks like it could kill someone. Well, if someone were stupid enough to stand against it and not know what they’re doing. The “0” triggers a vague memory of Sabo mentioning something about a giant, zero point robot – perhaps something like _indestructible_ and _easily angered_ . He distinctly remembers thinking, _that sounds like fun_ , and receiving one of Sabo’s classic _you’re an idiot but I love you anyway_ eye rolls and soft chuckles. It had made Ace’s spine tingle then, and the memory makes Ace’s spine tingle now. He squashes the feeling of hope, trying to convince himself that he isn’t the only one who receives such looks. His traitorous head reminds him that Sabo has a completely different look for Luffy in similar situations.

Distracted, Ace nearly misses the scene unfolding before him. A head of familiar pink hair pulls his attention back to the present, and Ace wonders what in the world Kobi is doing, standing in front of this giant bot.

Then he sees the arm sticking out from under a large piece of debris. Kobi holds their fists out even as they shake, and their wings are fluffed and outstretched. The time overhead reads one minute and fourteen seconds left. Kobi takes a step backwards, wings spreading out to block the fallen examinee from the massive robot’s view. They look terrified.

Ace stops for a moment, wondering if he should interfere. Does Kobi need to conquer this bot on their own? Is this one of those moments where Sabo will take his shoulder, keep him still as someone struggles forwards? Or is this a moment that he needs to rush in, stop things from getting ugly before it’s too late?

Ace has never been good at telling those apart. Sabo always comments that he’s too headstrong, that he rushes in without thinking and doesn’t stop to consider the consequences. Ace usually grins and says “that’s what you’re here for, right?” but lately Sabo hasn’t been grinning back. His smile is strained, forced in a way that Ace doesn’t like.

He’s pretty sure it’s Sabo’s way of saying he needs to start figuring things out for himself, because Sabo won’t always be there. Things like this moment. So Ace focuses on Kobi and begins to slowly move closer. The clock tells him he has less than a minute left. Kobi hasn’t moved.

The pink haired kid looks back at the fallen examinee and seems to decide something within. The large robot’s glowing red eye locks in on Kobi, and it prepares to take a swing.

Kobi raises their fist, stance widening in defence, or perhaps defiance, and suddenly Ace isn’t watching Kobi anymore. He’s watching a young Luffy raise his fists against a Bluejam, a well-known bully nearly twice Luffy’s size.

 

  _"You can’t be a hero with a rubber quirk!” Bluejam taunts._

_Luffy raises his fists. “I will too be a hero!” he shouts defiantly._

_Bluejam and his, what does Sabo call them? Corn something? Corn-ies? The corn-ies laugh; one of them pulls out a set of brass knuckles. He slashes it forward quickly, missing Luffy by a few inches. Luffy doesn’t flinch._

_"C’mon, just admit the truth. You’ll never be a hero, and that dumb fire brother of yours is only suited for a jail cell! We’ll leave you alone then.”_

_It’s an obvious taunt, but it still makes Ace’s blood boil. He considers diving in, if only to pay Bluejam back for that comment. Instead, Luffy clenches his small fists and rushes forward, catching the bully by surprise._

_“Ace is gonna be the best hero!” he shouts as he takes a swing - and promptly misses. His aim is still terrible._

_The bullies quickly come back from their surprise and burst into obnoxious laughter._

_“You’re just as stupid as that hot head!” they bark, howling like the dumb animals they are. Ace’s surprise at being defended quickly turns into anger, and he starts running towards them._

_The one with brass knuckles slashes at Luffy, cutting the left side of his face. Luffy gives a sharp yell and clutches the wound, but he doesn’t back down._

_You’ll never beat Ace!” he shouts, and for the first time since seeing Sabo hurt, Ace sees red. His flames boost him as he sprints forward._

 

The zero bot is not, in fact, indestructible, as Ace quickly finds out. He’s standing in the rubble, surrounded by slowly dying flames, wondering if perhaps he had put more fire power into that punch than was necessary. He’d put more power into knocking Bluejam out as well. He can’t bring himself to care; whatever it takes to keep these kids safe. This kid. Whatever it takes to keep this kid safe.

Ace turns to look at Kobi, who’s standing shell-shocked and terrified, fists still raised in defence. Ace’s pretty sure their terror isn’t because of the now-destroyed bot. Kobi reaches towards him, and Ace braces himself for the impact of a shove, or a punch, though it will probably be weak. Instead, Kobi grabs his shirt, fingers still shaking, and trembles, “T-t-t-th-thank yoooouuu!” They break down into tears, sniffling into their sleeve, still gripping Ace’s shirt tightly. Ace feels himself starting to panic - he’s never been good with tears. Usually, he just hits Luffy over the head to get him to stop, but somehow Ace doubts that will work in this situation.

Swallowing his discomfort, Ace awkwardly pats Kobi on the head. From somewhere above them, the announcer orders all remaining examinees to exit the mock city. Ace looks down at the sobbing Kobi and resigns himself to his fate. He stiffly places an arm over Kobi’s shoulders and guides them out, glancing over at where the fallen examinee is being treated by Recovery Girl. Once they reach outside of the gates, Ace instinctively pulls Kobi closer to avoid them being swept away or hit by the mingling crowd and ends up with Kobi’s face buried in his shoulder. He tries not to think about all of the snot and tears covering his shirt. He doesn’t succeed.

The only warning Ace gets is the warbled, “Aaaaaace!” that is screamed right before Luffy launches himself onto Ace’s right side. With Kobi still sobbing into his left shoulder, Ace is now trapped between two crybabies, and is regretting every single decision that’s led him here.

“Luffy. Can’t. Breath,” he mumbles into Luffy’s stomach. Luffy releases him, thankfully, but continues to dramatically cry on his right shoulder. Ace’s eyes instinctively search for Sabo, who should be there to laugh at him and the spectacle he is right now. He ignores the pains in his chest when he finds no Sabo in sight.

“Luffy, why are you crying?” Ace asks, trying to shake his little brother off. Luffy begins to sober up, looking at him with watery eyes. “I-I-I, I thought Kobi was gonna _DIE_ ,” he wails with a fresh set of tears, and Ace can’t help but roll his eyes. “You’re such an idiot. You hardly even know the kid!” Ace moves to hit Luffy like usual but finds his arm occupied by a much quieter Kobi.

“You a’right?” Ace asks, finally shaking Luffy loose and reaching over to place a hand on Kobi’s shoulder. Kobi nods, wiping their face with their sleeve. It’s disgusting, and Ace barely keeps himself from flinching at the sight. Ace sweeps the crowd once again, but he can’t find that familiar head of blonde hair. He doesn’t let his disappointment show. Whatever is keeping Sabo must be more important.

He doesn’t acknowledge the small part of him that hopes Sabo’s just trying to act cool again, and is posing somewhere, waiting for them to find him. Beside him, Luffy is now clinging to Kobi. Kobi, in response, is still stuttering, though they look significantly happier than before.

Grinning, Ace loops his arms around both of their necks, bringing them a tad closer.

“I’m gonna see if I can’t find Sabo before the next round. You two behave,” he gives a pointed look to each of them, which they clearly take to mean very different things, much to his amusement. “Try and stay outta trouble, and Luffy - don’t get caught.” Luffy nods, but his grin tells Ace that staying out of trouble is the furthest thing from Luffy’s mind. He sighs. How much trouble can he really get into at a school for superheroes?

Ace hopes it won’t cost any of them their admission. With a ruffle to each of their heads, Ace sends them off, noticing that Luffy has now linked their arms and is dragging a still-blushing Kobi away to see who-knows-what. It’s kind of cute. Kobi’s a good kid.

He spins around, his smile gone, as he searches for where Sabo could have wandered off to. Ace really hopes he hasn’t gotten himself into some kind of trouble, but the voice in his head keeps whispering what the worst case scenarios would be. He ignores them and heads off towards one of the few places Sabo could be hiding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this from my phone on a cruise ship hours from sailing, so I apologize in advance for any formatting errors. I'll fix them when I return.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this one! It took a while, but I'm glad I waited, because I'm much happier with the result.
> 
> [edit]: this edit was so long overdue, I'm sorry, but here; the formatting has been fixed!


	6. What's Left Unspoken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabo's exam is about to start, but there's been no sign of Sabo. He'll make it in time, right? What's been keeping him, anyway?

When Ace finds them, Luffy and Kobi are eating ice cream and popcorn near the large screen that allows spectators to see what’s going on. He’s not sure where they found ice cream or popcorn, but is mostly unsurprised. Luffy’s ability to smell food is about as good as Ace’s. 

“Stay out of trouble?” Ace asks when he gets closer. Luffy grins up at him, and Kobi goes a bit pink. Cute.

“Of course!” Luffy looks around, then gives Ace a quizzical look. “Didya find Sabo?”

Ace shakes his head, keeping a small smile in place. “I’m sure he’s just off being Sabo. He’ll show up when it’s most convenient for him.”

He flicks Luffy in the forehead and steals a handful of popcorn as Luffy’s flinching. The resulting exclamation causes quite a bit of popcorn to go flying. Ace laughs as it lands all over poor Kobi, who’s very unsure how to react.

He steals another handful of popcorn.

Sabo’s fine, and most likely just causing trouble somewhere. He’ll return later with some great story and they’ll all share a laugh.

Yeah. Sabo’s fine.

 

* * *

 

The announcer gives a last minute warning and the rest of the students begin to make their way in front of the the exam area. Ace scans around, but still doesn’t see Sabo. Surely he won’t be late to his exam. This is Sabo, after all. The nerd who’s been dying to take the HU exam since he was eight. 

A half eaten bowl of ice cream is handed to him, and Ace looks up to see Kobi. 

“No thanks,” Ace says politely, even as his hands gravitate towards the bowl. Kobi gives a soft chuckle.

“Take it, I’m done.” They shove the bowl closer to Ace, who finds himself taking the bowl without hesitation. It’d be a shame to waste it. The ice cream’s gone in nearly two bites. 

Luffy pouts a bit, upset that Kobi offered Ace the ice cream instead of him, but quickly gets over it when Kobi offers to get more popcorn. The winged kid wanders off, leaving the two brothers alone.

“He’ll show,” Luffy says suddenly, looking studiously at the screen. Ace is quiet for a moment. Luffy hardly ever shows his serious side, prefering to smile and go with the flow than worry about what might come next. The fact that he’s not joking about Ace being worried just shows that Luffy’s worried too.

“Yeah,” Ace finally replies, and the two brothers choose to sit in silence. Words aren’t needed to express their concerns, nor to reassure that Sabo can handle himself. Ace wouldn’t know what to say anyway.

As expected, Sabo appears just as the exam starts. He takes off, dashing and darting between other participants, weaving through the streets with expert speed and precision. Ace frowns at the obvious display. Sabo’s not even hiding his quick speed, and the talons that gleam in the afternoon sun. He rips through the first bot with ease.

“Sabo’s using his quirk,” Luffy says. Ace gives a quiet hum in response. The air is heavy with unspoken words, things that don’t need to be said but they’re both thinking.

 

_ Sabo never uses his quirk in public. _

 

_ He looks angry. _

_                He looks pissed. _

 

_ Something is clearly wrong. _

 

_ He’s avoiding me, _ Ace thinks as Sabo delivers a crushing blow. He chases the thought from his head. Maybe Sabo just hasn’t had a chance. Things will be explained later, once they meet up. 

Ace doesn’t look away from the screen, but he can see Kobi gently nudging Luffy. Luffy grins and the tense air falls away. The two begin to loudly cheer for Sabo every time the camera pans to him, and boo when it pans away. Ace allows himself a grin, if only because Luffy never ceases to surprise him. It doesn’t keep the tension from building between his shoulders.

There seem to be more enemies and less participants than Ace’s own exam. Time moves quickly, and with barely a few minutes left, Sabo finds himself back to back with another examinee. A strong female who’s taken out as many bots as he has, with orange hair and bright eyes. They’re surrounded, but neither look terribly worried. In an amazing display of teamwork, Sabo ducks just as the female takes out the bot that had been aiming for his face. He nearly spins around her, his hand coming up to crush the bot at her back. Their teamwork is smooth, as if they’d been practicing for years. As if they trusted each other - with their very lives.

Something sharp makes its way down Ace’s spine, and it feels like anger. It squeezes at his heart and lungs, making it difficult to breathe. It feels like betrayal. He can’t help the little voice in the back of his head that tells him  _ That’s how you two fight _ . He can’t help the thoughts of  _ Sabo’s fighting that way with someone else _ , and  _ it’s nothing special between the two of you _ . He shakes his head, trying to get rid of the voice, the thoughts that intrude like a cruel whisper. They echo back his fears.

“Ace?” Luffy wraps his arms around Ace’s arm, demanding his attention. Ace looks down, quirking an eyebrow at his little brother. Luffy doesn’t say anything for a moment.

“Lu?” Ace parrots, giving his arm a shake. Luffy pouts, his grip tightening on Ace’s arm. 

“You don’t know either?” he questions, turning back to the screen. “Sabo must really trust her.”    
Ace can feel Luffy watching him, but he just shrugs, ignoring the sharp edges. “Yeah. I’ve never seen her before,” he says calmly. Ace looks around, spotting a lack of pink hair and dark wings. “Where’d the kid go?” he deflects, trying to peel Luffy off of him. Luffy’s grip tightens. “Kobi went to get their stuff. The exam’s over, you know.” Ace glances back to the screen. The rest of the participants are slowly making their way out of the mock city, massaging sore muscles and stretching out extra tension. Sabo and the female participant are slowly headed back, at a pace that makes it obvious they’re chatting. It makes Ace’s stomach sink. Luffy’s giving him one of those calculated looks that says he sees everything, even if he doesn’t know what it means. He sees.

Ace pinches Luffy’s nose.

The younger boy gives a startled yelp and dashes off, sticking his tongue out as he goes, probably in the direction Kobi headed. Hopefully. Ace wonders if he should worry and go after the troublemaker, but he spots Sabo and decides that Luffy’ll be fine. For now, anyway.

“Sa-” Ace starts, about to run up and greet him, but Sabo’s brow is furrowed, and he doesn’t spare Ace a single glance as he heads in a different direction. The female next to him looks a tad annoyed, but mostly uncaring. She has her arms resting behind her head in a nonchalant way. As they leave, the female looks back, her eyes meeting Ace’s for a brief second before she turns back to Sabo. Ace watches them leave.

Sabo never once looks back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, so, yeah. It's finally written. Tbh, I have no idea what the next chapter's gonna be, soooo  
> It might be a while.  
> Sorry 'bout that.
> 
> Hope you've enjoyed so far!


End file.
